Thread: Chimpertainment's WorkBook

Your Homework For Lesson I is to:

Start your own workbook thread in this subforum (here) - Check
Start a Dream Journal and record each dream. -Check
Record the times that you naturally go to bed and wake-up, and list it in your workbook.
- Lately my sleep schedule has been totally off the wall. Im getting ready to move to a new place next week and once I get settled I should have a pretty consistent schedule. My sleeping will probably be from 11pm-7am 5 days a week and slightly different on weekends. Will update when it becomes more solid.

Do reality checks whenever you experience something weird throughout the day, and list it in your workbook.
I have been trying to do reality checks but I haven't found one that is really effective. I usually look at my hands, but its like im supposed to be looking for something. So yeah, im still working on RC.

Write a list for why you want to lucid dream (for motivation), and plan out what you want to do in your next lucid dream.
Why I want to Lucid Dream:
-Explore
-Heal
-Have some fun

In my next Lucid Dream, I want to:
-Perform a basic summon, probably a potion...
-Fly

Establish a night-time routine (Include reading your dream journal, making sure to leave your DJ open to a blank page for quicker dictations).
-Read DJ
-Place it under a pillow on my bed with the right page marked..
-Perform 9 breaths of preparation
-Perform Recall Practice (Go back in my daily recall several days, and also my dreams as far back as I can remember)
-Incubate Dream Ideas/Images
-Mantra as I fall asleep

Optional:
Start posting snippets from your dreams in the Dream Snippets Thread to get feedback on your dreams!
Will do

Start practicing awareness from Lesson III
okie dokie

If you notice any recurring elements in your dream journal (aka dream signs), list it in your workbook.


I have a list of dream signs in my DJ as well. here they are:

• Victorian Style House
• Ranch Style House
• Van
• Mall
• Church
• River
• Diverging Paths
• Path Leading Over An Edge
• Super Rage
• Fear
• Comradery and fellowship
• Anxiety
• Flying/floating/levitating/falling
• Riding A bike
• Taking a Shower
• Riding the Ferry
• Kitchen
• Bathroom
• Eating/Food

Looking forward to working hard on my lucidity. I have been having relatively consistent recall for about 2 months now. Within that time I have had 3 lucids. It has been pretty awesome and I have also realized there is a lot missing in my practice. I hope to change that here.
The biggest thing for me right now is increasing my awareness and practicing reality checks on a regular basis. I really want to focus on building from the bottom up so I can have a consistent lucid practice.

Cheers!

I have a little update before I go radio silent for a day or two. Ill be moving to a new place and I wont have internet for a little bit...

So, lately I have really been focusing on pre-sleep awareness. Over the years, I have developed a ton of bad habits. Its like I formed specific habits to block myself from dreaming. That has kept me pretty busy for the last two months and I am just starting to see results.
I have had a few SP experiences recently which is completely out of the ordinary. Last night, it was like there were tons of cockroaches in my room then they all melted together to form an insect man that was bothering me during SP....weird shit man...wow...I was seeing visuals of these wonderful insects, but im pretty sure it was more connected with the vibrations. My mind was just filling in everything else as I was going through the rabbit hole..pretty freaky though...

Once I finish this move ill actually have a consistent sleep schedule and I will be dreaming again like a boss!!

Btw...you guys are awesome. This site keeps me motivated, and focused. There are a lot of changes happening in my life right now and having this community of support is awesome. Its always nice to have people around that can handle my weirdness.

Cheers!

Hey Chimper

That sounds really creepy! Cockroachman

Lol. See ya when you return, and I hope everything goes well with the move and all. We'll be right here when you get back! Hope you get some good dreams as well.

Back from my moving/no internet break. Ironically, I had a lucid two nights in a row. Im gonna be working on my expectations and pre-sleep habits this week.

Awesomesauce! Congrats on the lucids

Here is a general synopsis of my dreaming so far...

Sleeping Habits
After moving to my new place, my sleep schedule is a consistent 8hrs from 10pm-6am pst. I typically wake up 4 hours after I go to sleep initially.

Recall
Since I re-started my dream journal in May, I have had relatively consistent recall at 2-3 dreams per night. Once I get paid, I am planning on investing in an audio recorder so I dont have to write in the middle of the night. Then I can record the dreams in the morning in my journal and here on dream views. My recall has definitely improved as far as detail within the dream. I am trying to get back into the emotion of dreams since Ive been disconnected from that for a while.

Lucidity
In the past two weeks I have had four lucid dreams. In the previous 3 months I only had one lucid and that was in the middle of August. It took since May of consistent practice to finally begin having lucids on a regular basis. This is totally ok with me because when I returned to the site in May, I was determined to focus on dream practice as a whole and let the lucidity grow at its own pace. This has turned out to be a huge advantage. It has made my dreaming much more consistent and I can see my awareness gradually growing. As I continue my practice, this consistency will provide that essential foundation for further growth.

Reality Checks
This practice has become much clearer to me in the last week or so. I am learning to recognize my dream signs more often. Once I have consistent dream signs established, I try to RC whenever I experience those signs in waking life. This should serve to enhance my awareness as well. My dreams are changing as I change IRL which is very interesting. The beauty of reality checks seems to be the solidity they provide in an environment of change.

Pre-Sleep Routine
I am still working this out. I feel that once I establish a consistent pre-sleep routine, it will serve as a mental activation for my mind and entering sleep aware will be much easier. What I would really like to do is create a unique ritual focused on awareness and relaxation. Like I say, this is a work in progress.

So yeah...Just wanted to provide an update and kind of show for myself where I am at presently. Any suggestions, input, analysis would be appreciated

Originally Posted by chimp

Lucidity
In the past two weeks I have had four lucid dreams. In the previous 3 months I only had one lucid and that was in the middle of August. It took since May of consistent practice to finally begin having lucids on a regular basis. This is totally ok with me because when I returned to the site in May, I was determined to focus on dream practice as a whole and let the lucidity grow at its own pace. This has turned out to be a huge advantage. It has made my dreaming much more consistent and I can see my awareness gradually growing. As I continue my practice, this consistency will provide that essential foundation for further growth.

I love this. I was just thinking earlier today how I would love to go through the workbooks and determine stats like that, like how many more LDs members have since joining DV, or DVA etc. But anyway, I'm so glad you had 4 in the last 2 weeks, that's great! I think it was smart going at your own pace. I think that's one advantage to having the Intro class "at your own pace" now. In the first month, students had to do one lesson per week together. It made it competitive, and forced members to set and reach goals pretty astringently. But I think the success rate over all is much better now that it's user-paced.

Last weekend I went to my friends house at my old apartment. We had a good time getting completely wasted/blasted/faded etc... However, since then I havent had one lucid and my recall has collapsed. I can only recall portions of dreams if that.

Had a dream this morning about being trapped in a museum; which is a perfect metaphor for what is happening. When I go to bed I am having a really hard to letting go of the day and anticipating the dream. My mind keeps telling me I know what I have to do, but im not exactly sure what that means. Im thinking i need to put some serious effort into clearing my mind before bed.

here i go again!

Hey Chimp.

Have you ever seen RareCola's idea about writing down stressful thoughts before bed? I think it's in his bedtime routine tutorial. Anyway, sometimes we feel like we need to keep our mind filled with daily issues so that we won't forget to tackle them the next day. So if you write them down before bed, you free your mind from that obligation for the night. I'm not talking about a grocery list style, I mean a fairly in depth paragraph or more about what things are bogging down your mind, why this is the case, and what you plan to do to resolve them the next morning. That way, you know it's all down on paper, so there's no reason to keep it trapped in your head. If you start to drift off, then you remember something else and it jolts you awake, jot it down as well. I'd be really interested in seeing how this works for folks.

That's a good idea. I just got a phone that records stuff so im gonna try voice recording at night and then write down what I record in the morning. You know, its funny cuz I have been trying a recall method but it has gotten really shallow and repetitive.
I think reading my DJ before bed might help too.

thanks for the advice

Lucid Last night!

Mantras are really helping me..my loss of recall could be related because I hadnt been using them for a couple weeks. Maintaining a consistent pre-sleep routine is really helpful for me..

but ya, little update for me book.

Woot! I read your dream in the ToTM. Congratulations!!

That was really cool, and kinda funny. I imagined a chimp kneeling, ears to the ground, staring at a dirt mound. Lol. Great job!

thanks paige


I had another lucid this morning! It was a DEILD this time, the first ive had since starting my dreaming again. Things are lookin up!

The train is picking up speed!! congrats on the DEILD. I find deilds to be really cool. Quick, and amazing nonetheless.

yeah, i usually really struggle with dield because i move right when I become awake. Its a matter of relaxation im guessing, but that reaction always seems to kick in, then ill be moving before I even know im awake.

also..another lucid last night, weeeee

Originally Posted by Chimpertainment

yeah, i usually really struggle with dield because i move right when I become awake. Its a matter of relaxation im guessing, but that reaction always seems to kick in, then ill be moving before I even know im awake.

also..another lucid last night, weeeee

Aww nice! Gimme some of dat lucid powahzz :3

Also, sometimes when I DEILD, I roll over instead of staying still. Luckily, it works just as well. I think it's more on the mental state of focusing on reentering the dream than physically being able to lay still. Maybe that's why it still works even if I move a bit



P.S. CONGRATS ON THE PROMOTION!!!

Originally Posted by paigeyemps

Aww nice! Gimme some of dat lucid powahzz :3

Also, sometimes when I DEILD, I roll over instead of staying still. Luckily, it works just as well. I think it's more on the mental state of focusing on reentering the dream than physically being able to lay still. Maybe that's why it still works even if I move a bit



P.S. CONGRATS ON THE PROMOTION!!!

Hahaaa, I think you have plenty powerz on your own
Yeah, I am really gonna work on loosening my control this week. Things always have to be a certain way in my mind and I gotta let that go. but yeah, its definitely about that mental state.

and thnx I am one step closer to world domination! mwahahaaaa

Originally Posted by Chimpertainment

I am one step closer to world domination! mwahahaaaa

What...



/me high fives!

A One, a two, a three and four annnnnnd...zzzzz



This is another update...

Update: During the month of September, I learned a lot, and had several lucid dreams. Although my workbook has been a bit sparse, which I plan to change, my experience in my dreams has been amazing as ever.
My approach to the various induction techniques is to prepare for all of them and slowly gain speed on each technique simultaneously. So far it has worked pretty well, except for trying too much at some points.
It is really interesting to see all the assumptions I have constructed over time play out in my dreams. An action or image in the dream can have meaning as a picture does. All you have to know is what you are looking at.

Here are the various induction techniques and my experience with them.

DILD
This has been the induction technique for all but one of my lucids. While I have been introducing reality checks into my waking life, they don't seem to happen in the dream. Instead, I will produce an awareness of being in the dream organically. The question will arise in my head rather than from the sensory input. This could be because my sensory input experience in dreams is very faint. When I was younger, my dream experience was much fuller and richer than my waking life. As time went by, my dreams simply lost their color.
DILD has proven to be the best for me especially in conjunction with mantras.
Pros
Minimal Time Spent Preparing
Dream is already constructed
No need to deal with Sleep Paralysis
Cons
If it is before wbtb, it could be difficult to recall
There is less control of entry

MILD
Mantras and using other mnemonic techniques is a very effect tool for me. My imagination is a freaky factory of crazy goodies and its a 24/7 operation. So when I try going to sleep, a day dream fully formed from the get go can throw me off. Mantras really keep me on track and also improve my recall. Whenever I need to accomplish anything with dreaming, I use a mantra as I fall asleep.

Pros
Helps recall
Improves DIELD chances
Improves wbtb chances
Especially effective with suggestible people
Cons
It is hard to make one up
It is hard to focus on the mantra


WILD
This is the most elusive technique for me so far. When I first joined DV back in 2010, I had a WILD during an afternoon nap. I haven't had a WILD like that one since. The experience was one of the most amazing things I have ever been through. There is always the thought in my head that I want to WILD. Every weeknight I wbtb in order to attempt a wild. I usually loose my awareness before going back to sleep. This could probably be fixed pretty simply by staying up longer. Even though it is difficult to achieve, I will continue to attempt the WILD.

Pros
Clear, controlled entry
vivid beginning of the dream
deeper perception of possibilities
No Pre-sleep prep required
good for nappers

Cons
difficulty level is up there

DEILD
Since August, I have had Eight Lucid Dreams and One of those was a DIELD. It was accidental although I was attempting to maintain awareness as always. There was intention for awareness I suppose. This dream was slightly realistic as it started in my room. My dream creativity is still growing. In one lucid, I closed my eyes and tried to create a new scene. Instead, I got shapes and colors. There is a lot to be said for passive control and dield requires a lot of that.
My second alarm of the night following my deep sleep cycle alarm is my dield alarm. I have slept enough to be aware when the alarm wakes me up. Then the alarm goes off automatically, I a attempt to enter a dream. I have accomplished two attempts and have gotten as far as a rough dream scene while in Sleep Paralysis. This is the technique that shows the most promise for improvement and future success. When I work the kinks out of this technique, it should lead to a lot of lucid dreams.

Pros
Dream entry is easy
awareness and control from beginning of dream
No need to wbtb
pre-sleep prep is unecessary

Cons
You have to wake up after a dream
You may have to go through sleep paralysis

WBTB
Every weeknight I set an alarm to wbtb. While I dont always properly execute the wbtb technique, it does help to simply wake up and exercise some awareness. This is basis of my WILD attempts and improves my recall.

Pros
Easy, improves dream experience exponentially

Cons
Hard at first to wake up in the middle of the night
awareness can be difficult to maintain
might be hard to get back to sleep

Dream Yoga
This summer, I bought the tibetan yogas of dream and sleep. It is a great book and I would recommend it to anyone. There is a lot of the Buddhist religion mixed in but it has some great awareness techniques. I usually use some kind of breathing exercise to calm myself while laying in bed. As my schedule is more solidified, I will be expanding my pre-sleep practice. There was a couple times in August when I was able to maintain some semblance of awareness when I first fell asleep. When I was a kid, I used to get stuck in sleep paralysis before falling asleep. One of these experiences was repeated recently and it was pretty terrifying. After a few times, I think I will be able to maintain the awareness despite the sleep paralysis.

Pros
raises overall awareness
opening for meditation, more relaxation exercises

Cons
Time consuming
Requires some dedication and commitment - These can be cons if like me, these are hard to come by.


There will be a lot more dream updates forthcoming from me. They will be simpler and much shorter than this one, but great none the less.

Its a great day to have a brain.

That's one big update, I failed not to notice that you said you have a great imagination, so why not use VILD?

Thnx for the kind words guys


So, this is kind of a second part to my update. What I am going to do is list some new dream signs and all the areas that I think I need the most work on. Please feel free to give me advice, thoughts, free food, money...etc...


New Dream Signs

- Theater - This started happening after going to the Seattle Public Library and seeing their theater. It is an amazing set up.

- Apocalyptic/War Zone near home - Not sure I can tie this with anything in waking life yet.

- Clearing in the Woods - These have always been places I have been to in the past.

- In Group of Armed "Enforcers" - Whether its a group of assassins, or a police force, I am one of the group.

- Friends from my past - These are people I have not seen or talked to in a while. They continue to show up in varied ways.

- Hiding - Usually this means I just drop to the ground and play possum.

- Implicit Expectations - This happens a lot in dreams, but it seems to happen quite clearly in my lucid dreams. I know it is a hurdle I must overcome yet it still holds power. It is also a point of some frustration for me because I have been through it before and it was much easier the first time.


All these have started showing up within the last couple months. It is endlessly fascinating for me to watch my mind sift through all this built up information.

So, problems...Staying sufficiently motivated has been my biggest problem. Its not that I don't want to practice dreaming in the best way possible, its more like I don't feel like I want to. Perhaps I think I need to feel like I want to in order to do something.
Another thing is my expectations. Whether it is waking life, or in a dream, my expectations are always there to sabotage my experience. This keeps me continually questioning my experience and trying to freshen my perspective. Unfortunately this gets tiring after a while, and maybe the way I am going about that is too intensive. Practitioners are always talking about passive control, passive awareness, and my personal passivity is most definitely out of practice.

I could keep going but I need to focus on a few things at once so I don't drown myself.
And again, I would very much like to hear any comments, questions, advice, harsh direction, seething raging madness!!!! anything

Originally Posted by areyoume

so why not use VILD?

First of all, thank you for noticing my imagination.

Second, I have no clue what VILD is, could you fill me in?

uuuh that's wierd. I just found out about VILD myself and going to start tonight. HERE is the link that I found.

Thanks for the link Xanous, that sounds pretty useful. I like that idea for a wbtb, and its pretty close to a mild too. I think I will give it a try, and thanks for the tip areyoume!

Last night I went to bed after doing some relaxation exercises. I slept really deeply and restfully. My wbtb alarm woke me up at 5am. Got up, went to the bathroom, then when I got back into bed, I tried the VILD technique. I imagined myself in my room, in a dream, and I become aware. Then I look around, look outside, and imagine going outside to explore. As I am imagining this, I am doing my best to embody the lucid state of mind. I fall asleep repeating a mantra in my head. "I am looking forward to having a dream, and becoming aware." Typically I use present tense mantras, but this was a suggestion from a book I am reading so I thought I'd try it out.

I slept from 11pm-9am. I recalled two full dreams from REM and one fragment from my deep cycle.

There is a recall wall that I have been hitting and I think if I can get over this hurdle my awareness will go through the roof. When I wake up, my dream has already ended. Its like there is a dark fog between the time that I wake up and my dreams. In the next few nights, I am going to try mantras focused on waking up immediately following the dream. Also, as part of my recall practice, I will relive my recalled dreams and attempt to "stretch" my recall. What I mean is I go to the earliest and latest memory of the dream, then attempt to remember further. It even helps to imagine things just to see if it fits.
Any tips would be appreciated. Once I get clearer recall, I believe my dream awareness will increase substantially. Then again, I could be setting myself up for failure...

It seems like I am struggling to recall lately myself. I have to really lie there and think for a while. Slowly I remember more and more. I imagine it like the end of a root in the ground. The more you pull and dig, the more you are able to expose.